The issue of decline in physical book sales is rapidly escalating worldwide, raising alarm due to its wide range of negative impacts. The predominant factors contributing to this problem are advancement in technology, as well as concerns over the environment. From my perspective, the most significant repercussions of this issue include health problems among people, along with the bankruptcy of businesses in this field.
If we examine the causes of this problem, the pervasive influence of the technology stands out as a critical factor. This is because, since smartphones were invented, people have been using them for most of their tasks, including reading books, which has led to the paper-books not being sold properly. For instance, in Japan, instead of reading real books, individuals now prefer e-books, which they can get from various websites. Furthermore, worries about ecological damage compounds the issue. In other words, as paper is made from trees, book manufacturing may require cutting them down. And since trees are the main source of oxygen, this may decrease its production, while also leading to habitat destruction for the wilderness. Therefore, some countries like, Portugal ban the production of books, if logging is needed.
Regarding the repercussions of this problem, the primary outcome, health issues significantly worsens the situation. To be more precise, if a person has too much screen time, while reading the virtual book, it can result in eye irritation, due to the blue light emitted by the screen. For example, around 35% of individuals doing the same in Korea started wearing glasses because of eye-related problems. Additionally, the possibility of publishing industries going bankrupt further intensifies the challenges we encounter. This means that if people stop purchasing books from the publishing company, it can begin to lose sales and even become insolvent. For instance, the french company called “The world of wonder” stopped selling paper books because of less demand. It is imperative to comprehend and address these effects to develop effective strategies that mitigate the overall impact of this issue.
In conclusion, the complexity of the drop in the number of books being sold indicates that simple, immediate solutions are unlikely to be effective. Nonetheless, I am convinced that identifying the principal causes and the ensuing effects is really essential.